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 Many of the new outbreaks were in parts of the country where
COVID-19 vaccinations have lagged, prompting political leaders to
ramp up pressure on reluctant Americans to get the inoculations.
President Joe Biden, citing higher rates of COVID-19 in states with
low vaccination rates, said during a speech that the nation's
economic recovery hinged on getting better at controlling the
pandemic. (Graphic on U.S. cases) https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-TRENDS/dgkvlgkrkpb/
"So please, please get vaccinated," Biden pleaded. "Get vaccinated
now."
A federal judge on Monday ruled that Indiana University could
require students to be vaccinated, rejecting claims in a lawsuit the
mandate violated their rights under the U.S. Constitution.
The ruling could set a precedent for similar vaccination orders in
schools and businesses. Attorneys for the plaintiffs have said they
would appeal to a higher court.
Also on Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said fully
vaccinated Americans could cross the border for the first time in
16-months from Aug. 9, easing a travel ban that many business owners
complained was crippling them.
Vaccines and especially mandatory shots are deeply controversial
among conservatives.
WALL STREET SELLOFF
The average number of daily new COVID-19 cases in the United States
has tripled in the past 30 days, according to an analysis of Reuters
data, climbing to 32,136 on Sunday.
The average number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has also
risen 21% over the past 30 days to over 19,000, according to the
same Reuters analysis. Deaths, which can lag behind other
indicators, rose 25% last week to an average of 250 per day.
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 Wall Street saw a broad selloff
of stocks as investors worried that the latest
outbreaks could prompt state and local officials
to impose new lockdowns and business closures.
Millions of Americans were thrown out of work
and many small businesses were forced out of
business due to nationwide clampdowns during
2020.
Already Los Angeles County has ordered residents
to wear masks indoors again following a surge in
cases across Southern California.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news
conference on Monday that the city had no plans
to reimpose mask mandates despite a rise in
cases. The mayor said he would redouble
vaccination efforts.
Arkansas has been especially hard hit by the
resurgent virus. All but two of the state's 75
counties have substantial or high levels of
transmission, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Delta variant is responsible for 90% of
current new cases in Utah's Salt Lake County,
state epidemiology manager Ilene Risk said.
To combat the rising infections, the county has
enlisted faith leaders and doctors to persuade
the roughly 40% of eligible people who are not
fully vaccinated to accept the shots, she said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday
released updated recommendations for schools
that included mask-wearing for everyone over the
age of 2, regardless of vaccination status.
Earlier this month, the CDC updated its own
guidance for schools in an effort to help reopen
in the fall, recommending masks indoors for
everyone not fully vaccinated, among other
guidelines.
(Reporting by Maria Caspani in New York, Anurag
Maan in Benagluru, Sharon Bernstein in
Sacramento, Rich McKay in Atlanta, Tom Hals in
Wilmington, Delaware and Dan Whitcomb in Los
Angeles; Editing by Howard Goller, Lisa Shumaker
and Richard Pullin)
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